Category: Davidsons Mains

Lauriston Castle launches 2024 programme

Lauriston Castle officially launched it’s 2024 programme this week with a visit from Culture and Communities Convener Val Walker alongside members of the multi-award winning Edinburgh Living History.

Convener Walker rose to the occasion and joined Edinburgh Living History in full Edwardian dress for a tour of Lauriston Castle.

Situated in the Cramond area of the city, this 16th century castle has breathtaking views of the Firth of Forth and will play host to an eclectic programme of events over the coming months.

Pic Greg Macvean 03/04/2024 Lauriston Castle with Culture and Communities Convener Val Walker in period costume

The Lectures series features discussions on everything from whisky to a history of Edinburgh photography.

Under the Adult Crafts Workshops there are sessions on watercolour painting, crocheting and much more.

In the Family Events section there’s everything from ghost tours to workshops on space!

There is also a range of Costumed Performances where visitors can experience reenactments of Edinburgh life from days gone by.

As well as these there are also Themed Tours, Theatre Performances, Atmospheric Film Screenings and Garden Events. We’re also working with partners like Edinburgh International Magic Festival and Edinburgh Horror Festival.

All events are listed on the Museums & Galleries website.

Culture and Communities Convener, Councillor Val Walker said: “It was an absolute pleasure to visit Lauriston Castle this week. Edinburgh Living History and our fantastic Museums & Galleries colleagues were kind enough to welcome me and provide a chance to explore one of our most unique venues.

“In the coming months there’s an excellent range of events taking place as part of the Lauriston Castle 2024 programme. From lectures on circular fashion to the grisly history of anatomy in 19th century Edinburgh all the way through to adult creative workshops and family events there’s truly something for everyone.

“I’d encourage all our residents and visitors to take advantage of these.”

About Lauriston Castle:

For more than 400 years, enchanting Lauriston Castle has overlooked the River Forth at Silverknowes, near Cramond. Set among 30 acres of woodland and beautiful gardens, Lauriston Castle is a special place to visit.

The Castle itself has a beautiful Edwardian interior, from which we take inspiration for many of our workshops.  Downstairs are the servants’ quarters, including the maids’ hall and the atmospheric old kitchen, where a warm welcome awaits you during the winter months.

Why not double up a day visiting the Castle grounds with a picnic, and historic Cramond is right on our doorstep so you can make a real day out visiting this part of Edinburgh. 

Free car parking is available within the Castle grounds off Cramond Road South. Lauriston Castle is easy to reach and is close by car from the City Bypass.  It sits between Davidson’s Mains and Cramond.

You can take numerous buses to Davidson’s Mains, or Silverknowes Terminus; both are around 10 minutes’ walk from Lauriston Castle.  Visit Lothian Buses website for details of local services.

Pic Greg Macvean 03/04/2024 Lauriston Castle with Culture and Communities Convener Val Walker in period costume

Booking:

Pre-booking and advance payment are essential for all events. 

Online: To book visit our website.

By phone – 0131 336 2060 (Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday 10am – 4pm)

In person – At Lauriston Castle – (Go through Courtyard by Mimi’s Café and ring the bell on the green door) Monday – Sunday 10am – 4pm

For further information (non-booking information) about any event, contact Margaret Findlay, Learning and Programmes Manager, on 0131 529 3993 or email margaret.findlay@edinburgh.gov.uk  

D Mains Park incident: Man arrested and charged following Police appeal

POLICE have traced a man in connection with an incident in the Davidson’s Mains area of Edinburgh around 4.20pm on Tuesday, 17 October, 2023. 

The 28-year-old was arrested and charged and is due to appear in court at a later date. 

Detective Inspector Keith Taylor said: “I’d like to thank everyone who shared our appeal and came forward with information.” 

Davidson’s Mains Park incident: Do you recognise this man?

POLICE have released images of a man they believe may be able to assist them with their ongoing investigation into an incident in Davidson’s Mains.

The incident happened around 4.20pm on Tuesday, 17 October, 2023, in Davidson’s Mains Park, East Barnton Gardens, and involved a 9-year-old boy.

Police would like to speak to the man in the images who they believe might be able to assist with their enquiry. 

He is described as white, aged 18 to 25-years, medium build with short blonde/light brown hair. 

He was wearing a black hooded top, black sports shorts with white stripes down the side, black and white trainers and was carrying a can of red bull in his hand.

Detective Inspector Arthur McEwan said: “I am asking anyone who can identify the man in the image or who has information regarding this investigation to contact us.”

Anyone who can help should call Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 2643, of Tuesday, 17 October, 2023.  Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be contacted on 0800 555 111, where anonymity can be maintained.

RAAC at Blackall Library: Mobile library in operation from tomorrow

TEMPORARY CLOSURE – MOBILE LIBRARY IN OPERATION

Following the temporary closure of Blackhall Library due to the discovery of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC), we can now confirm that there will be a mobile library vehicle situated in the car park of Davidson Mains Church.

The service will be available from tomorrow – Monday 25 September – to provide customers with the opportunity to collect reservations, return loans and borrow a limited selection of books, apply for bus passes, collect hearing aid batteries, free period products and buy food waste bags.

The mobile library will be available on the following dates:

Monday 25 September from 2.30 to 7pm
Tuesday 26 September from 10.30am to 3pm
Wednesday 27 September from 2.30 to 7pm
Thursday 28 September from 10.30am to 3pm
Friday 29 September from 10.30am to 3pm

Please see www.edinburgh.gov.uk/raacupdates for more information.

Edinburgh Multicultural Festival returns this month

Edinburgh Multicultural Festival, supported by the City of Edinburgh Council, will be held at Edinburgh College (Granton Campus) and Lauriston Castle on 30 September and 1 October 2023.

The programme features a diverse range of performers and visual artists telling their stories through creative writing and visual literacy workshops, artwork, poetry, storytelling, music, theatre, and dance.

There are also family activities, including arts and crafts, puppetry, living statues, reading sessions, and drumming workshops facilitated by Visual Literacy Matters and other artists. The festival truly has something for everyone.

This year’s musical acts include Los Chichanos, Mio Shudo, Motown Brothers, The Spinning Blowfish, Elaine Cheng, dance artists – Sam Vaherlehto and TuFlamenco as well as theatre makers – Catherine Bisset, Flavia D’Avila, Luntu Masiza and Olivier Van Den Hende.

The festival celebrates the cultural diversity of the Capital by bringing together local and international artists and creating experiences to be shared by all communities.

This year marks the 5th birthday of the festival, which has provided platforms, both on stages and digitally, for over 150 local and international artists of diverse backgrounds, and generated over 60k worldwide views since its inception.

All events are free but ticketed. For more information, please visit the Edinburgh Multicultural Festival website.

Culture and Communities Convener, Councillor Val Walker said: “It’s fantastic to see the return of the Edinburgh Multicultural Festival later this month. I’m incredibly proud that we are supporting local artists of all backgrounds to get involved with a truly unique festival. We all want to see as many of our residents as possible expressing themselves and adding to Edinburgh’s already excellent cultural sector.  

“Edinburgh’s diversity is one of our greatest strengths and this festival is just one fantastic example of our outstanding year-round cultural offerings. I want to wish the best of luck to all the organisers, performers and participants and I’m sure that this fifth year of the festival will be a great success.”

Edinburgh Multicultural Festival Director, Morgan Njobo said: “We are grateful to the City of Edinburgh Council for their support, thanks to which we can create opportunities for local diverse artists to share their work and cultures. As a South African artist based in Edinburgh myself, I value how welcoming the city is to the international talent.

“The festival is a celebration of cultural diversity in Edinburgh that is representative of the increasingly more diverse population in the city. This year we feature local artists of African, Asian, Caribbean, European, and South American origin thus creating a world stage at your doorstep.

“The festival has gone from strength to strength since 2019 as we continue to attract more participation in the arts in Edinburgh. Partnering with Edinburgh College in Granton and Lauriston Castle in Cramond allows us to create unique cultural experiences for audiences and participants of all ages and backgrounds while appreciating the hidden gem locations in Edinburgh.

“Let’s enjoy being able to be back together and support diverse artists and creatives here in Scotland.”

Kiltwalk: Local undertakers step out for Held In Our Hearts

This weekend is the Edinburgh Kiltwalk and we are delighted to say that Held In Our Hearts have 55 Kilt Walkers oner the weekend over all three events.

One local team of funeral directors are walking for bereavement charity Held In Our Hearts in the Wee Wander and we can’t thank them enough.

Funeral directors Barclays are going all out to make sure that Held In Our Hearts can continue to make sure that not family go through the trauma of being alone after the death of their precious baby. The charity offer support to bereaved families and have worked closely with Barclays over the years.

This year, Valerie, Andrew, Georgia, Elaine, and Marion will undertake 4 miles and walk from Silverknowes to Murrayfield .

As Valerie shared: “ We are so delighted to have the fantastic opportunity to be able to support  in this way”

You can donate to their page here :

https://www.justgiving.com/charities/search/fundraiserdetails/52126948

Thank you Barclays Heroes!

Road closures today

Edinburgh is hosting the UCI World Cycling Championships 2023 Men’s Elite Road Race tomorrow morning – Sunday 6 August 2023.

We will have temporary restrictions on

  • parking
  • waiting
  • loading
  • unloading

along the route, which spans from Holyrood Park to the Queensferry Bridge.

We may need to adjust these timings depending on the event timings.

Road closures

These roads will be closed from 11:59pm on August 5 to 3pm on 6 August:

  • Queens Drive
  • Horse Wynd
  • Dukes Walk

These roads will be closed from 11:59pm on August 5 to 1:45pm on 6 August:

  • Canongate
  • New Street (between East Market Street and Canongate)

These roads will be closed from 11:59pm on August 5 to 11:15am on 6 August:

  • High Street (between South Bridge and St Giles Street)
  • Lawnmarket (between St Giles Street and Bank Street)

These roads will be closed from 11:59pm on August 5 to 12 noon on 6 August:  

  • High Street (between St Mary’s Street and South Bridge)

The following roads will be closed from 8:00am to 9:45am on 6 August:

  • Abbeyhill (between Canongate and Abbeyhill Crescent)
  • Calton Road (between Abbeyhill and Abbeyhill Crescent)  

The following roads will be closed from 9:00am to 9:45am on 6 August:

  • George IV Bridge (between Lawnmarket and Victoria Street)
  • Lawnmarket (between Bank Street and Castlehill)
  • Bank Street
  • North Bank Street
  • The Mound
  • Hanover Street
  • Queen Street Gardens East
  • Heriot Row (between Dundas Street and Howe Street)
  • Howe Street (between Heriot Row and South-East Circus Place)
  • South-East Circus Place
  • Circus Place 
  • North-West Circus Place

These roads will be closed from 9:10am to 9:45am on 6 August:

  • Kerr Street 
  • Deanhaugh Street
  • Raeburn Place
  • Comely Bank Road
  • Craigleith Road

These roads will be closed from 9:15am to 9:50am on 6 August:

  • Queensferry Road (between Craigleith Road and Hillhouse Road)
  • Hillhouse Road

These roads will be closed from 9:20 to 9:55am on 6 August:

  • Queensferry Road (between Hillhouse Road and Maybury Road)

These roads will be closed from 9:40am to 10am on 6 August:

  • Queensferry Road / A90 South-eastbound (between the dual carriageway section and Whitehouse Road)

These roads will be closed from 9:40am to 10:40am on 6 August:

  • Queensferry Road / A90 North-westbound (between Maybury Road and the boundary of City of Edinburgh Council’s responsibility).

Vehicle crossing points on closed roads

On Sunday 6 August, traffic will be held at the junctions with the race route for up to 10 minutes while the race passes. Once the final support vehicle passes, traffic will be able to flow as normal.

The timings may change slightly to fit with the event as it passes through Edinburgh.

  • St Mary Street – Jeffery Street at Canongate/ High Street 9:25am to 9:35am
  • North Bridge – South Bridge at High Street 09:25am to 9:35am
  • Princess Street at The Mound/ Hanover Street 9:25am to 9:35am
  • Queen Street at Hanover Street/ Queen Street Gardens East 9:25am to 9:35am
  • East Fettes Avenue – Comley Bank Avenue at Comely Bank Road 9:30am to 9:40am
  • Orchard Brae – Crewe Road South at Comely Bank Road 9:30am to 9:40am
  • Telford Road – Strachan Road at A90 Hillhouse Road 9:30am to 9:40am
  • Quality Street – Craigcrook Road at A90 Queensferry Road 9:30am to 9:40am
  • Whitehouse Road – Maybury Road A90 Queensferry Road 9:45am to 9:55am

Please note that these planned restrictions and closures may be subject to change.

Picnic in D Mains Park on Sunday

Free this Sunday? Come along to a Picnic in the Park – open to everyone, fun and games and chance to chat. Bring your own picnic and let’s celebrate summer!

(If it rains bring your picnic along to the Sycamore Tree Cafe at Davidson’s Mains Parish Church instead.)

UCI Cycling Men’s Elite Road Race: Road closures announced

SUNDAY 6th AUGUST

The route for the UCI Men’s Elite Road Race has been announced. This forms part of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships, the “biggest cycling event ever.”

The race will begin in Edinburgh on Sunday 6 August 2023 at 9.30am. We expect the event to attract many visitors from across the world to follow the race as it makes its way from the capital to Glasgow. The city will be busy and some roads will be closed as the event passes through.

Route

Competitors will start off in the shadow of Arthur’s Seat and the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood Park. The race then heads up the Royal Mile and through Edinburgh’s Old Town, passing under Edinburgh Castle.

They will then head down the Mound and towards Stockbridge before moving onto Queensferry. Competitors will then cross the Firth of Forth via the Queensferry Crossing. The race will eventually finish in Glasgow’s George Square, covering a distance of 270km.

Road closures

These roads will be closed from 6:30pm on August 5 to 12 noon on 6 August:

  • Queens Drive
  • Horse Wynd
  • Dukes Walk

These roads will be closed from 11:59pm on August 5 to 1:45pm on 6 August:

  • Canongate
  • New Street (between East Market Street and Canongate)

These roads will be closed from 11:59pm on August 5 to 11:15am on 6 August:

  • High Street (between South Bridge and St Giles Street)
  • Lawnmarket (between St Giles Street and Bank Street)

These roads will be closed from 11:59pm on August 5 to 12 noon on 6 August:  

  • High Street (between St Mary’s Street and South Bridge)

The following roads will be closed from 8:00am to 9:45am on 6 August:

  • Abbeyhill (between Canongate and Abbeyhill Crescent)
  • Calton Road (between Abbeyhill and Abbeyhill Crescent)  

The following roads will be closed from 9:00am to 9:45am on 6 August:

  • George IV Bridge (between Lawnmarket and Victoria Street)
  • Lawnmarket (between Bank Street and Castlehill)
  • Bank Street
  • North Bank Street
  • The Mound
  • Hanover Street
  • Queen Street Gardens East
  • Heriot Row (between Dundas Street and Howe Street)
  • Howe Street (between Heriot Row and South-East Circus Place)
  • South-East Circus Place
  • Circus Place 
  • North-West Circus Place

These roads will be closed from 9:10am to 9:45am on 6 August:

  • Kerr Street 
  • Deanhaugh Street
  • Raeburn Place
  • Comely Bank Road
  • Craigleith Road

These roads will be closed from 9:15am to 9:50am on 6 August:

  • Queensferry Road (between Craigleith Road and Hillhouse Road)
  • Hillhouse Road

These roads will be closed from 9:20 to 9:55am on 6 August:

  • Queensferry Road (between Hillhouse Road and Maybury Road)

These roads will be closed from 9:40am to 10am on 6 August:

  • Queensferry Road / A90 South-eastbound (between the dual carriageway section and Whitehouse Road)

These roads will be closed from 9:40am to 10:40am on 6 August:

  • Queensferry Road / A90 North-westbound (between Maybury Road and the boundary of City of Edinburgh Council’s responsibility).

Vehicle crossing points on closed roads

On 6 August, traffic will be held at the junctions with the race route for up to 10 minutes while the race passes. Once the final support vehicle passes, traffic will be able to flow as normal. The timings may change slightly to fit with the event as it passes through Edinburgh.

  • St Mary Street – Jeffery Street at Canongate/ High Street 9:25am to 9:35am
  • North Bridge – South Bridge at High Street 09:25am to 9:35am
  • Princess Street at The Mound/ Hanover Street 9:25am to 9:35am
  • Queen Street at Hanover Street/ Queen Street Gardens East 9:25am to 9:35am
  • East Fettes Avenue – Comley Bank Avenue at Comely Bank Road 9:30am to 9:40am
  • Orchard Brae – Crewe Road South at Comely Bank Road 9:30am to 9:40am
  • Telford Road – Strachan Road at A90 Hillhouse Road 9:30am to 9:40am
  • Quality Street – Craigcrook Road at A90 Queensferry Road 9:30am to 9:40am
  • Whitehouse Road – Maybury Road A90 Queensferry Road 9:45am to 9:55am

Please note that these planned restrictions and closures may be subject to change.

You can find more information, on the event website 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships. I

f you have any questions, please email events@edinburgh.gov.uk

Renewed appeal over attempted murder in Davidson Mains

Detectives in Edinburgh have renewed an appeal for information in connection with an attempted murder in the Davidson Mains area.

The incident happened on Main Street around 12.05am on Friday, 21 April, 2023.

A 20-year-old had been in a pub on Main Street and left the premises at around midnight.

Soon after leaving the bar, three men, dressed in dark coloured clothing and balaclavas, attacked the man with a weapon.

He was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh by ambulance with serious injuries.

Enquiries have established a dark coloured 4×4 vehicle, possibly a Range Rover, closely followed by a smaller light coloured car, possibly a Vauxhall Corsa, and a further light coloured vehicle were driving from Quality Street onto Main Street around 12.01am on the date of the attack.

A pedal cyclist also travels from Cramond Road South onto Quality Street at the time and returns minutes later.

Detective Inspector Kevin Tait said: “None of these vehicles were involved in the attack but they passed the area shortly before or while the incident was ongoing.

“The occupants may have information which could help our investigation so if this was you please get in touch and speak to our officers. If you believe this was you and you have kept dashcam footage then again we would be keen to review this.

“I would also urge anyone else who may have information about the incident but has not yet spoken to police to get in touch as soon as you can.

“Anyone with information or dashcam footage is asked to contact officers on 101 quoting incident 0010 of 21, April, 2023. Alternatively, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be given anonymously.”